Freddy Gonzalez
Freddy Gonzalez
📍 Panama City, Panama
Aquaculture Production Manager at Open BlueMike Davidson: Where did your journey begin?
Freddy Gonzalez: I grew up in a very small town in the east part of Panama. We didn’t have much and it was just my mom raising me and my two brothers. But she wanted us to have a good education and we went to school in Panama which was almost a two-hour bus ride every day. Two hours into the city and two hours back. We didn’t have much money so going to school and getting an education was very important. It was a challenge in life just to make it through school at that time, but I worked hard through high school, applied for scholarships to the States and I ended up getting two of them, including one for agriculture in Texas and another for aquaculture in Florida. That set me on my way. After that I continued my education even further, spending time in Taiwan completing an engineering degree along with a master’s degree in aquaculture.
Mike Davidson: And now, at Open Blue you’re practicing what you learned from those programs, particularly in aquaculture and the sustainability and protection of our oceans.
Freddy Gonzalez: Yes, definitely. Knowing that we’re adding or sustaining within the ocean environment is very satisfying for me, it's a beautiful thing, knowing that the work we do at Open Blue cares so much about the environment. The fish farming that we're doing miles offshore can be very difficult but it’s all worth it because it’s good for the environment and I truly believe it’s the future of sustainable fish farming. I think you’ll see more and more of what we’re doing in the years and decades to come.
Mike Davidson: What’s one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career?
Freddy Gonzalez: One of the biggest challenges early on for me was learning to adapt to constantly changing life situations and new environments. I was a kid from a small town who had to first adapt to the big city in Panama, then to new schools and cities in the States, then professional environments where there were high expectations and very experienced people working around me. But through those experiences and challenges I learned to harness that feeling of uncertainty into something that kept me sharp in my professional career, to adapt and solve problems. I’m not intimidated when I come face to face with obstacles. I see it as a continuation of my journey, that I’ve always been able to overcome tough situations, all of it a chance to grow and learn. And Open Blue has definitely challenged me the most. The top guys in the world are working here, it’s a new way of working, a new way of farming and you have a lot to adapt to.
Mike Davidson: Is there a failure or setback that you've learned from and how important is it to learn from those mistakes?
Freddy Gonzalez: There are many challenges on the open ocean and with the type of farming we’re doing every day, problems need solving constantly. It isn’t to say things ‘don’t work’. It’s that we’re doing things that have never been done before. So, lots of innovation which can mean lots of mistakes along the way, but through that process, lots of learning that over time establishes new and exciting ways of doing things that produce amazing results.
Mike Davidson: What accomplishments are you the proudest of?
Freddy Gonzalez: When I first started at Open Blue I felt I really needed to prove myself. I was a new guy, scholarships and a good education behind me, but no real-world experience. At first it was stressful, the pressure to perform was intense. But I focused, channeled that attitude and feeling of being able to adapt to new situations like since I was a kid going to school in Panama, and proved to these guys I was good for this. It’s very satisfying for me, and I love what I do. We’ve been doing it for ten years here and I’m excited more than ever with what we’re accomplishing.
Michael Davidson: Do you have a life motto?
Freddy Gonzalez: We all have problems large and small, things we deal with on a daily basis. Life can get complex and busy… but within that I always seek how to ‘live simply’ which is my way of focusing back to health, happiness and family. These are the things that when you filter everything else out, they remain. And I also use it when I’m problem solving, to not complicate things and remember that the simplest solutions are often the best solutions.
Michael Davidson: Have you had a mentor that has helped guide you?
Freddy Gonzalez: I’ve had many people in my life that have helped me. But if I have to choose one it would be my mother. She was a single woman raising me and my two brothers. She taught us a strong work ethic, to never give up on your dreams, and believe that you can do anything. Without her cementing that belief in me early on, I’d never be where I am today.
Mike Davidson: What does leadership mean to you?
Freddy Gonzalez: I let my team know I’m there for them every day by working hard alongside them. You have to be engaged. You can’t lead from a distance. I let them know on a daily basis that I appreciate their efforts and I think in a tough environment like working on the open ocean, where guys are doing five or six dives a day on the Open Blue sea stations, you need to hear something from the person that leads you, and also from each other, between the guys on the crew who work together and back each other up. If you’re all connected and supporting each other you’ll reach that goal and get where you want to be.
Michael Davidson: How do you approach things that in a moment can feel insurmountable; how do you Do The Impossible?
Freddy Gonzalez: Great question, I’ve thought about this a lot over my career, seen a lot of tough challenges and it really comes down to two things; having a strategy and being brave. So always to approach things with a plan in mind and then move forward with that plan, believe in it to your core and execute. Having that unwavering belief in a choice that you’ve made for yourself, or your team is a type of bravery; when you’re so committed to something, you only accept success and failure is not an option.
Michael Davidson: What does a ‘Mission Mindset’ mean to you?
Freddy Gonzalez: It’s so important to success, to anything I’ve ever done, to develop solid plans and look at challenges as opportunities. A mission mindset gets you into the zone where you’re prepared for those challenges. And that preparation will give you solutions. They may not always be best solution, there could still be trial and error involved, but with a mission mindset you’re starting off by thinking about everything that can happen and that’s so key. Don’t just bring the problem, bring the solution as well, or at least part of the solution and some steps that get you closer to where you’re going towards achieving that goal.
